Silence is Full of Music
by SmartOotori
Summary: In the snow, they danced to invisible music. In the sand, they silently conversed. In the night, they kissed as the stars shone brightly above them. YukimuraOC
1. Silence 1

Yukimura Seiichi waved goodbye to his clubmates and started his trek home. Snow started its yearly fall, making him smile and wrap his scarf tighter around his neck. It's been 5 months since Rikkaidai's second consecutive win on Nationals. As a second year, he was able to play against many schools in the country, every time fueling him with excitement. He looked at his shaking hand and smiled as he still felt the happiness of winning Nationals.

As he passed by the neighboring park, he noticed a girl standing under a streetlight wearing only a thin spring dress. It was as if she was freezing herself. Her red hair was slightly covered with the contrasting white snow. Her hands were clutched together in front of her chest, looking like she was praying to the moon. Being the gentleman he is, he walked up to her and wrapped his scarf around her neck. She opened her eyes and tilted her head at him, her green eyes piercing through his blue eyes. Yukimura blushed and rubbed the back of his head in nervousness. "Um, uh, I saw that you were standing in the snow without any jacket on so I thought you were freezing."

The mystery girl smiled and grabbed his hands. Her actions made his blush turn into a deep red as he stared at the smiling girl. She let go of his hands and started to run around, looking like a child in winter wonderland. She grinned at him and motioned for him to join her. He smiled and placed his bag on the bench as he calmly walked up to the bouncing girl. "Ne, what's your name?"

She gave no answer except a smile. She curtsied in front of him, hoping that he'd get what she was doing. With a confused smile, she sighed and grabbed his hands. She placed one of his hands on her waist and held the other. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder and led him to a waltz. Yukimura chuckled and twirled her, making her grin. She gave a silent giggle and let him lead.

The dance went on 'till a small crowd surrounded them. When they stopped, they saw their audience and blushed when they started to applause. "It seems like they like our performance, ne?" Yukimura said as he picked up his bag. He smiled at the grinning girl and held out his hand. "Would you like to have some hot chocolate with me?"

The red haired girl shook her head and ran away from him. When she was a good distance from him, she gave him a wave and continued her journey. Yukimura raised his eyebrow and shrugged. He looked at the falling snow and smiled. He let the snow melt on his outstretched hand. Shaking the water off, he continued his trek home.

"What an interesting girl…"

-X-

It was the new school year as it was obvious from the blooming cherry blossoms. Students old and new walked to Rikkaidai Fuzoku Chuu, chatting up with old friends or soaking up the beach scene before them. A group of boys stood out from the walking students. Some of the females squealed and waved at them while some boys stared at them with admiration or envy. Ah yes, Rikkaidai's infamous tennis regulars. The captain, Yukimura Seiichi smiled and nodded at the waving girls, making them faint. Marui Bunta and Niou Masaharu were teasing their only junior regular, Kirihara Akaya, making their vice-captain Sanada Gen'ichirou yell at them. Yagyuu Hiroshi, Yanagi Renji, and Kuwahara Jackal sighed and continued walking to their destination.

Rikkaidai came into view and in minutes the welcoming bell rang. The regulars went on their separate ways. When Yukimura entered Class 3-C, his blue eyes widened at the sight of the person sitting next to the windows. _'It's her, the girl I met a few months ago.'_ As if someone called her, she turned around and widened her green eyes. She then smiled and stood up. Her uniform and red hair was slightly swaying as she walked up to him. She grabbed his hands just like she did a few months ago and grinned. The Child of God smiled and twirled her, expecting to hear a giggle. When he didn't, he raised an eyebrow at her. She just gave him a smile and skipped back to her desk before anyone could see the closeness between them.

In a few minutes, their classmates entered the room, wondering who the new girl was. Many had tried to get her into a conversation, but it was futile for all she gave them were smiles. The teacher entered the room when the final bell rang and smiled at the daydreaming student. When she felt a pair of eyes on her, she faced the front and smiled. The teacher motioned for her to come to the front. Taking out her student list, she wrote down the girl's name on the board as the said girl walked up and smiled at everyone. "Everyone, this is Tsugimiya Akane. I trust that you all be courteous to her, especially since she's mute," a few murmurs erupted and many stared at her still smiling face. "Well since you already have claimed the spot next to the window, I trust that you won't be daydreaming in any classes, right, Tsugimiya-san?" She blushed when the class laughed and gave her teacher a peace sign. Akane skipped back to her seat and sat up in attention, making her teacher laugh. "Hai, hai, now everyone…"

Yukimura stared at the attentive girl and placed his chin on his palm. _'She's a mute? No wonder she gives people smiles rather than spoken words.' _He continued to stare at the girl until he heard a book fall on his table. The senior jumped and looked up to see his smiling teacher.

"Yukimura-kun, is there a reason as to why you're staring at Tsugimiya-san rather than listening to me?" The class laughed, making him blush. "I'll let it go since it's the first day but I trust that you won't ever do that again?" He nodded and tried to sink under his desk. "Ah, young love…" His teacher mumbled as she walked back to her desk.

-X-

When the final bell for the day rang, Akane stretched her arms in the air and sighed. She packed up her things and was about to leave when someone wrapped his arms around her and gave her a bone-crushing hug. "Aka-chan!"

Yukimura looked up from his book and raised an eyebrow at the volley specialist. He saw that Akane was trying to get out of his grasp and chuckled as he decided to help the poor girl. "Marui, I think Tsugimiya-san needs to breathe."

Marui let go of Akane and smiled at her slightly dizzy face. She shook out her dizziness and smiled at him. She patted him on the head, making him pout. "Mou, I told you not to do that anymore!" She gave him a silent giggle and continued to pat him on his head, despite the fact that he's a few centimeters taller than her. He gently grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles, making her blush. "Ah, I still have that effect on you!"

"Everyone has that effect on her, Marui," Yagyuu said as he entered the room. "Besides, it's weird to see two cousins act like lovers."

Marui pouted and gave his cousin puppy eyes. "Ne, it's not weird that we're acting like lovers, ne, Aka-chan?"

She raised an eyebrow at him and slowly nodded, as if deciding whether or not it's the right decision. Marui smiled and hugged her again. "Yay! Aka-chan and I are lovers!" Jackal grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him away from his cousin.

"Hai, hai now let's go before Sanada gets to the courts before us. Yukimura-buchou, we'll see you there." Yagyuu followed the two, leaving only Akane and Yukimura in the room. She smiled at him and grabbed his hands like before. He smiled and twirled her again, watching her make a silent giggle. He got his tennis bag and held out his hand.

"Would you like to come to the tennis club?" Akane shook her head and dashed out the room. She waved goodbye and left the captain to his thoughts. Yukimura chuckled and looked outside the window. He watched her smile to other students as she continued to run out of the school and into the streets.

"I think this year will be interesting…"

* * *

**_A new story yet it's still Prince of Tennis..._**

**_Nah, Yukimura invaded my mind lately so I decided to vent him out by writing a story! :D_**

**_Reviews fuel my inspiration! :)_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis_**


	2. Silence 2

As Yukimura walked to school the next day, he saw Akane with her cousin clinging onto her arm like a lovesick fool. He saw her grin and patted the senior's head. What interested him was the violin-shaped bag she was carrying. _'Can she play violin?'_ He thought as he walked a faster pace to catch up to the two. "Marui, Tsugimiya-san, good morning." They turned around and smiled at the captain.

"Good morning, buchou! Today's a great day!" Yukimura raised an eyebrow. "Ah, Aka-chan has agreed to go out on a date with me!"

"Exactly how are you guys related?"

"Um, well, hm…we're sixth cousins, I think… Besides, our genes are too far apart to recognize us as relatives but then again we're still blood…" The blue haired teen looked at the red haired girl with a confused look on his face. When she noticed him looking at her, she motioned to tell him later.

Marui reluctantly let go of Akane and waved goodbye as he ran to his classroom. Akane and Yukimura smiled at each other and let her in first. And who said chivalry was dead? She got out a notebook and wrote something down. After writing she gave the notebook to him.

_I only agreed because he kept on asking. Besides, Bun-chan's the only family I have left. My parents died the day I entered middle school._

"Oh, I didn't know that," he said after reading it. He saw her smiling and waved it off. He gave her notebook back and saw her writing again.

_It's fine. It gets lonely at times but with a family like Bun-chan's, I can never stay lonely for too long._

"Of course, he has two younger brothers, right?" She nodded and grabbed his hands. By instinct, he tried to twirl her but she shook her head. Instead she stretched far away from him, but still holding his one of his hands, and spun to him. He pulled her to him and spun her out, and smiled when she spun back to him. The pale teen raised his arm above her head and twirled her, watching her laugh through her movements.

A light blue haired trickster passed Class 3-C and smirked at the two dancing. He saw that students were about to enter the classroom so he knocked on the door twice and left before anyone could notice him.

The knock on the door interrupted their dance and noticed the incoming students. They, for some apparent reason, reluctantly separated and sat on their respective seats, waiting for class to start.

-X-

It was lunch time and Sanada raised an eyebrow at his captain and best friend. "Come on, Tsugimiya-san, they won't bite." He heard the Child of God say to the red head next to him. Marui turned to the side and jumped up to his cousin.

"Aka-chan! Ne, ne, are going to eat lunch with us?" She nodded and sat down between him and Yukimura. "Ah, these are the regulars that I was telling you about! You already know me, Yukimura-buchou, Jackal, and Niou," he pointed at the Data Master of Rikkai. "That's Yanagi Renji."

"Nice to meet you, Tsugimiya-san."

Next Marui pointed at the purple-haired teen. "That's Yagyuu Hiroshi."

"We've met, but I wasn't able to know her name." Yagyuu said as he adjusted his glasses.

"Is that true, Aka-chan?" She nodded and bowed her head to Yagyuu. "Well, anyway," he pointed at the stern vice-captain. "That's Sanada Gen'ichirou, the vice-captain of the tennis club."

"It's nice to meet you, Tsugimiya-san."

"And where's Bakaya…?" Marui looked around and smiled. "Ah, there he is! Bakaya, come meet my cousin!"

"Stop calling me that!" A seaweed-haired teen plopped between Yanagi and Yagyuu, and raised an eyebrow at Akane. "Who's that?"

"She's Tsugimiya Akane, my cousin and my lover!" Marui squealed as he rubbed his cheek on her arm. That caused many of the regulars to raise their eyebrows. Jackal and Yagyuu shook their heads as Akaya accusingly pointed at them.

"Incest! Aren't you guys ashamed of yourselves?" The volley specialist stuck out his tongue and popped the bubblegum he was chewing in front of his underclassman's face. "Stop it!"

"Or what, Bakaya?"

"I'll kill you!" Akaya jumped on Marui only to be stopped by Yanagi. "Let me at him, Yanagi-senpai!"

"Akaya, you're being rude to our guest." And at that, the devil sulked on his seat. Akane smiled at him and gave him a cookie, which he gladly accepted. "By the way, Marui, why hasn't Tsugimiya-san spoken to us yet?"

"Ah, Aka-chan's mute. Ever since we were…5?" The mute girl nodded. "And she always said that she doesn't want anyone's pity just because she's mute. All she need are friends who'll accept her for who she is, right, Aka-chan?" She blushed and hid behind Marui who was chuckling. "Don't be embarrassed, they're good people, even though some of them look scary." Niou and Akaya started giggling when Sanada shadowed over the magenta-haired teen.

"Tarundoru! 10 laps!" Marui hung his head in shame, receiving a silent giggle from his cousin and a pat on the head.

During this whole ordeal, Yukimura just sat silent and staring at the red head next to him. Niou noticed it and innocently whistled as he pushed Marui who fell on Akane who fell on Yukimura who fell on the ground with Akane on top of him. After a few seconds of staring, she blushed and sat on the ground, letting her eyes land on anything other than her classmate. She stood up and patted Marui on the shoulder, and in an instant, she fled, leaving an amused tennis team.

"That was interesting…" Niou mumbled as he stared at his buchou with mischief in his eyes. "I'm going to have fun this year…"

-X-

Akane stood in the empty music room with a gentle smile on her face. She softly caressed her chestnut violin lying on its case and plucked one of the strings, emitting a beautiful note. Her nimble hands grabbed it and placed it between her chin and shoulder. She grabbed her bow and tuned it with notes from the piano next to her. Once she had tuned it, she opened her book and looked for a music piece. She stopped once she saw Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber.

With her free hand, she traced the title with a small frown. It had been the piece she played on the day of her parents' funeral. It was her final farewell and just the thought of it brought tears to her eyes. A handkerchief appeared before her, her eyes followed the person's arm up to see Marui's smiling face. With a smile she used the soft cotton to wipe her tears.

While Akane busied herself with her tears, Marui grabbed her book and tried to find a happier piece. His eyes shone in happiness when he saw his favorite piece and showed it to her. Akane's shoulders shook as she gave a silent laugh and nodded. It was Spring by Vivaldi and every time the magenta-haired teen heard it, he has the urge to grab his cousin and just dance with her.

As she played Vivaldi's piece, Marui relaxed on his seat and closed his eyes, imagining the pictures from her playing. He saw blooming cherry blossoms, children playing at the park, and Akane sitting under a cherry blossom tree with a book in her hands. Then her parents arrived with smiles on their faces. He opened his violet eyes and watched her play with grace. His heart ached to know that he's watching her and not her parents. But he knew they're watching over their precious daughter.

Of course, one of the reasons as to why he bugs her with the lovey-dovey stuff is because he had promised her parents that he would take care of her and what better way to take care of his mute cousin than to make her his bride?

Then again, what if that time comes, the time when Akane finds her true love? Would he let her go and watch her be happy, or keep her in a leash forever?

The self-proclaimed tensai silently sighed and continued to watch her play. When she finished her piece, she smiled at him and pointed at her book. Marui shook his head and told her to pack up since the sun was setting. She nodded and proceeded to pack her violin. Akane felt Marui take one of her hands and looked at him with a confused look on her face. She blushed when he kissed their locked hands and his loving smile on his face.

"Until then, you're mine, ok, Akane?"

* * *

**_Awww...Marui's so sweet...like his sweet tooth! _**

**_Anyone disgusted by the fact that they're cousins yet they're 'lovers' as Marui says? Then again their genes are too far apart... Oh well _**

**_Reviews are greatly appreciated as it is my fuel of inspiration._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis_**


	3. Silence 3

Akane sat on a towel under a large beach umbrella. Her cousin Marui was sitting next to her, playing with the locks of her waist-length red hair. She smiled at him and blushed when he would gently grab a lock of her hair and kiss it. He laced his hand with hers and she leaned on his shoulder. He released a sigh of happiness and watched as the waves rolled in and out of the beach. His violet eyes scanned the peaceful area and stared straight ahead where a tennis ball was about to hit his head.

"AHH!" Marui screamed as the tennis ball was smashed on his face, interrupting his random daydream. He lay on the ground with his face scrunched up in pain and a bruise already forming on him. He groaned in pain and wished that his cousin was there to heal him when he knew that it was impossible. Someone had covered the harsh sun from his face and slowly opened his eyes. "Akane?"

"Bzzzt, wrong. What am I, your fairy godmother?" The light blue haired trickster twitched and shook his head. He held out his hand which Marui gladly accepted and pulled him up. "Are you ok? You've been out of it ever since Akane arrived." Marui sighed and sat on the bench near him.

"I don't know, I guess I'm just worried. It's been a while since she attended a school since her parents died. I argued with her about it but she won, saying that if she doesn't get a life, what did her parents die for?"

"Look, she'll be fine. You know that she'll be at the music room until you pick her up from the music room. So stop worrying and start playing!"

Yukimura glanced at the arguing classmates with his jersey draped over his shoulders. The yellow jersey slightly flew in the wind as he walked up to them with a raised eyebrow. "Is there something wrong, Marui, Niou?"

"Marui's being pansy, he's not fun when he's like this," and with that Niou walked away with his racket across his shoulders.

"Ah, gomen, Yukimura, I'm just worried about Akane," Marui said as he placed the towel over his eyes. "One of the many disadvantages of her being mute is that she can hide her problems. I promised to take care of her but how am I supposed to do that if she won't tell me?"

The captain sat next to him and looked up at the orange sky. His mind kept drifting to a certain red head, making him shake his head. With a sigh he stood up and looked at his teammate. "Just be patient, she'll come around."

-X-

It was getting late yet Marui was still in the courts, practicing for the upcoming district preliminaries for middle school tennis. Akane knew not to walk home without Marui but she still had homework to do. And she sure isn't going to do them in a desolate school. She packed her things and locked the music room. Her footsteps echoed in halls as she walked towards the janitor's room to return the keys.

Once she gave the keys to the kind janitor, Akane carefully walked out of the school grounds, not bothering to tell her cousin, or anyone for that matter. As she walked home, she noticed a group of high school boys were about to walk past her. It was dark and she knew anything can happen. It also doesn't help that she can't scream without her voice. The violinist clutched her violin bag tighter around her arms and hid herself behind her hair. When she knew that they didn't notice her, she let out the air she was holding in and was about to continue walking when someone grabbed her wrist.

"My, my, what do we have here?" Akane froze on the spot and closed her eyes, not wanting to see who grabbed her. "Oooh, cat got your tongue, sweetie?" She heard laughter around her and assumed at that the group had decided to outnumber her.

She tried to escape from their grasp but winced when she felt the person's grip tightened around her wrist. "Why don't you say something, girl? Too scared?"

"I think she's a mute!"

"Lucky!"

Akane could feel the excitement around her and felt tears rolling down her now rosy cheeks. "Aw, now look, you guys made her cry." She felt a hand grab her cheek and pulled her to face him. "Open your eyes." Her red hair flew as she rapidly shook her head. "I said look at me!" When she opened her green eyes, she flinched away from the high school student. "Ain't she a beauty?"

"Let go of her!" Everyone turned around to see an angry Akaya. The boys around her glared at him and lunged at him. Luckily he dodged them and ran to the crying Akane. "Come on, senpai, Marui-senpai's been looking for you!"

"Hold it! You're not getting away with our girl!" Akaya pulled Akane behind her and took the blow from the tall high school student. "Not so hot now, eh, kid?"

"Akaya, Akane!" Niou arrived with malice in his light blue eyes. "Get the hell away from those two, you bastards."

"Or what?" Niou growled and punched one of them in the gut. Akaya wiped the blood from his chin and joined him. The defenseless girl stood there helplessly as she watched them protect her.

"Tsugimiya-san!" She turned around and ran into the arms of Yukimura. He let her cry on his chest as he watched Sanada and Yagyuu stop Niou and Akaya. The high school students looked at him and flinched when they saw the deadly aura emitting from him.

"Let's get out of here!" They passed by a furious Marui and ran faster as Marui ran up to his weeping cousin.

"Akane, are you ok?" He saw her hands clutch Yukimura's shirt tighter and frowned. "I'm not angry that you left without notice, Akane. I was just worried. Come on, let's go home." She shook her head. "Akane?"

"Is it possible if I bring her home?" All heads turned to Yukimura who was gently patting her head. "She won't let go of me and even if I tried, she'll just rip my shirt." Marui narrowed his violet eyes at his captain and thought of the pros and cons of him bringing her home. After a while he sighed and nodded.

"Just bring her home safely, Yukimura." And with that Marui walked away. Niou followed him as well as Yagyuu and Akaya, leaving Sanada to stare at the blue haired teen.

"Are you sure?" Yukimura nodded and gently pried Akane's hands from his shirt. "Suit yourself. I'll have Marui bring your things." Sanada turned around and left the two under a blinking streetlight.

"Tsugimiya-san? Are you ok?" He sighed in relief when he saw her nod. "Well, let's go. Or are you too weak to walk?" Akane shook her head and was about to grab her things when Yukimura grabbed them. "I'll carry them for you. Lead the way, Tsugimiya-san."

-X-

Marui was angry. No, that's an understatement. He was furious. Not because of Akane's LWN (leave without notice), but because of his carelessness. And Akaya was unknowingly the one helping him vent.

_I knew I should have brought her home before practice. Besides, what's with Akane and Yukimura? Akane never lets anyone near her except for me and Niou. _

Marui ran up to the net and executed one of his favorite moves: Tsunawatari (Tightrope Walking). The ball traveled on top of the net and fell. He blew his green bubblegum and returned to the service line, waiting for his underclassman to serve.

Sanada stood behind the fence, holding Yukimura's things. He was about to yell at them to stop when he noticed the fury and confusion in Marui's eyes. He watched the game with interested eyes, forgetting about yelling at the two of them.

Akaya raised an eyebrow at his senior as he landed on his feet after smashing the ball. Marui stood frozen with wide eyes. His grip loosened and let the racket clatter on the ground.

Niou sat on the sidelines, watching the two play against each other. He gently placed an ice pack on his bruised cheek and winced. Yagyuu sat next to him and gave him his towel to wipe the blood and sweat off his face. With a silent thank you, Niou cleaned his face and sighed.

Jackal watched his doubles partner vent out his anger and decided that it was time to stop when he saw Marui's racket fall to the ground. Everyone who saw his actions raised their eyebrows and waited for a reaction.

Marui looked at his shaking hands and clenched them close, along with his eyes. But that didn't work as a lone tear fell. His mouth could barely form words as he mumbled a sentence.

"Akane likes… Yukimura…?"

* * *

**_Wah, don't cry Marui! Besides you have to choose what's good for Akane!_**

**_Ahem, sorry 'bout that. Well, does our volley specialist really "LOVE" his cousin? Or did the tear mean something else?_**

**_Oh well, you'll find out. _**

**_Reviews fuel my inspiration!_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis._**


	4. Silence 4

It's been a week since that incident and Marui Bunta avoided his cousin and Yukimura like a plague. He knew that his cousin needed him but he couldn't help but feel…unwanted. As he watched Akane and his captain converse during break, he never felt so lonely, despite the fact that Niou and Akaya were chatting next to him. When he saw her smile, he knew that that smile isn't reserved for him anymore, that he'll have to share her but…

He's a selfish boy, and he knows just how to break those two apart.

-X-

It was club hours and Marui decided to skip it. He was putting his plan into action, even if he gets slapped by Sanada for skipping practice. He clutched the strap of his bag tightly as he stood in front of the music room where he could hear Akane playing the violin version Kiss the Rain by Yiruma with a piano accompaniment. His heart started beating really fast and a deep red hue appeared across his face. The magenta haired teen clutched where his beating heart was and tightly closed his eyes. As he listened, tears ran down his face and to the floor. Marui heard the violin stop and looked up to see Akane with her head tilted to the side. As she reached out to touch him, he ran off with his tears flying in the air.

'_I can't go through with it. I just…can't…'_

-X-

"So let me get this straight, you were gonna tell Akane that buchou has a girlfriend since you know that she's pretty sensitive and when she gets all sad and lonely, you'll have her?" Niou asked as Marui sulked on the bench. Niou sighed and looked around the park and saw Akane running up to them with a red face. "Well, you better get your act straight, Akane's here and I think she's been looking for you for a while now." As if on cue, Akane stood in front of them and was heavily panting. In her hands were her bag and violin case, which she gently placed on the bench. Marui stood up and gently held her at arms length.

"Akane, are you ok? Are you hurt?" She shook her head and held Marui's face between her hands. Her thumbs wiped his tears away and smiled at him. Akane let herself fall into his arms and sighed as she felt him tighten his grip around her. Marui kissed the top of her head and ran his hand through her long red hair. "Is it too late to go on our date, Akane?" The said girl looke up and shook her head. He lovingly smiled at her and grabbed her things as his other hand laced with hers.

The two walked off, ignoring the amused trickster on the bench.

-X-

"Ne, Onii-chan, let's go to the beach today!" Yukimura Maaya exclaimed as her older brother entered their family home. Yukimura raised an eyebrow and kneeled in front of his sister who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Why, Aya-chan? It's a bit too late for us to go at this time."

"But, there's this festival happening tonight, and Yuuki-chan told me to come." Someone chuckled from behind her and kneeled in front of her.

"Maaya-chan, shouldn't we let your brother rest? Remember, he just came back from tennis practice." Their mother said, making the little girl pout. Yukimura just chuckled and stood up.

"Okaa-san, I'll be alright. I can take Maaya to the festival."

"Are you sure you're not tired?" The 'Child of God' just smiled and looked down at his sister.

"Let me get changed, then we'll go to the festival." Maaya grinned and pumped her fists in the air.

"YAY!" Their mother just chuckled and picked up her little girl.

"Then let's get you into your yukata, or do you just want to wear whatever you want?"

"Let me pick!" After a few minutes, Yukimura had his sister in his arms as they waved back at their mother. When she was out of their sight, they walked towards the many lights at the beach. "Ne, Onii-chan, who's Akane?" The older brother raised eyebrow.

"A friend of mine, why do you ask?"

"Because Daisuke and Kazuki told me that they saw you dropping off Akane at their house." Yukimura sweatdropped. _'I forgot that she's friends with Marui's brothers.'_ He just smiled and nodded.

"That's because their brother couldn't bring her home so I volunteered to do it." Before Maaya could open her mouth again, they arrived at the Annual Takeshi Festival. The elementary student jumped out of her brother's arms and grinned.

"Let's go get a goldfish, onii-chan!"

As they approached the goldfish stand, Seiichi couldn't help but recognize the couple at the stand. Of course, with the female's red hair and the male's magenta hair, it's not hard to know that it's Marui and his distant cousin. He heard the volley specialist growl as his poi broke when he tried to bring the goldfish to the bowl in his hand. "Mou, why'd you pick a hard one, Aka-chan?"

Akane sighed and pointed at a white goldfish with a long, flowing double tail. "You want that one then? Well, I'll try but if I can't get it, we'll just have to try on a different time, ok?" She nodded and smiled when Marui payed for two pois. He carefully watched the white goldfish move around the small pool and gently put the poi in the water, trying to trap the goldfish in a corner. When he did, he put the bowl near the poi and successfully placed the goldfish in the bowl. Akane jumped in joy, making the storekeeper chuckle. She carefully held the bag between her hands and smiled at the goldfish swimming about.

"What's my reward?" Marui cheekily asked. Akane blushed and kissed him on the cheek, making him grab her waist and pulled her into a hug. He chuckled when she blushed harder and looked up, only to slightly frown when his violet eyes landed on his captain. There was a weird tension in the air, which Maaya didn't feel as she dragged her brother to where the two was.

"Ne, onee-san, that's a pretty goldfish! Onii-chan, can you get me one?" Yukimura shook his head out of his stupor and smiled at his sister. As Yukimura tried to get a goldfish, Maaya stuck a conversation with her friends' brother. "Ne, Marui-niichan, who is she?"

"Maaya-chan, this is Akane, my date for tonight," Marui saw his captain slightly twitch and mentally smirked in victory.

"Really? Wow, you're so pretty, onee-san! But why can't you talk?" Akane smiled and patted her on the head.

"You see, Maaya-chan, Akane is a mute. She can't speak at all so you just have to be patient with her, ok?"

"OK!" Yukimura stood up and gave his sister a bag with a goldfish in it, albiet not the same as Akane's but, it's still a goldfish. "YAY! Thank you, onii-chan!"

"No problem, Aya-chan, now let's go, we don't want to disturb Marui and Akane's date, do we?" He slightly glared at the volley specialist who stuck his tongue out. Akane saw the exchange and gave them a confused look.

"But I want to hang out with onee-san a bit more!"

"Don't we have to meet with Yuuki-chan?" Maaya weakly chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Well, I lied so that we can go here…Sorry, onii-chan." Yukimura sighed and looked at the slightly hostile teen.

"If Marui and Akane says yes, but if they say no, we won't annoy them anymore, ok?" Akane smiled and nodded, making Maaya grin. Marui just sighed and shrugged.

"If Akane's in, then I'm in, but," the two males glared at each other as Akane and Maaya just smiled at each other.

Boy, won't that be the time of their lives?

* * *

_**Well, I'm still feel weird about MaruiAkane. I've never tried this kind of pairing so please be patient as I try to experiment. **_

_**Oooh, competition. Yukimura versus Marui. **_

_**Mah, I'll let the readers choose.**_

_**Reviews are greatly appreciated! **_

**_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Prince of Tennis._**


	5. Silence 5

Akane smiled and waved at everyone who passed her as she walked towards Rikkaidai Fuzoku Chuu. Usually she would have company, usually at least one regular from the tennis team but because the district preliminaries was fast approaching, the Three Demons of Rikkai were giving the regulars hell. After an argument with Marui – well, it wasn't much of an argument if Marui was the only one talking – Akane was allowed to go to school by herself.

She stopped at the middle of the road and absorbed the scene in front of her. Although there wasn't much cherry blossoms left, it's still beautiful. A slightly strong wind blew some of the petals off its branches and together they danced in the air; One might say that they're dancing in front of the giggling female. She looked at her watch and silently gasped; the starting bell's about to ring. Akane clutched her bag tighter as she ran towards her school. She ran faster when she was nearing the school. Her eyes widened when she heard the bell ring and the gate starting to close.

"Akane!" That voice sounded familiar, she turned her head and saw Niou Masaharu running close behind her. Yet because of her action she tripped on a rock and skidded on the ground. "Akane!" Niou caught up to her and effortlessly carried her in his arms. "Troublesome, first the high school boys, now this? You're quite prone to danger aren't you, Akane?" The mute girl blushed as Niou chuckled and continued to run to the school. They managed to slip through a narrow space before the gate _clanked_ close. With a smirk, Niou gently put down Akane, who bowed as soon as her feet touched the ground. "Yea, yea, go before you're late." She smiled and waved as she ran to her class. Niou chuckled as he placed his hands behind his head and walked to his class in his own pace. Then he realized that he missed morning practice.

'_Crap, I missed practice. Hm…will Sanada let me off the hook if I told them I was helping Akane?'_

Unbeknownst to them, a dark figure glared at the scene and sharply turned around with furious thoughts in their mind.

-X-

Despite the fact that Marui let Akane go to school by herself, he still wouldn't let her go home by herself. Thus Akane sat next to Yukimura as afternoon practice commenced. She fiddled with her fingers and glanced at the Child of God next to her. A green headband was wrapped around his forehead with some loose blue hair over it and his yellow regular jersey was placed over his shoulders. His blue eyes was concentrated at the matches before him, looking for mistakes and weaknesses in their play.

"Akaya, your backhand is too weak!" The said ace twitched and rubbed the back to his head with a weak smile. Yukimura smiled yet Akane felt a chill in the air, so did Akaya. Immediately, the junior ace returned to his game with a slight fear for his life if he didn't correct his mistake before the next point.

Akane slightly shift away from him which didn't go unnoticed by the captain. _'Maybe I was a bit too hard,'_ he thought as he glanced at the red-haired female. "How are you with your studies, Tsugimiya-san?"

Akane looked up and weakly smiled at him. She got out a notepad and gave it to him after she wrote her reply.

_It's going well, thank you for asking. Although I am a bit disappointed that I'm not able to contribute when we have class discussions. _

Yukimura raised an eyebrow at her. Akane blushed and wrote something else on her notepad.

_Don't worry, Yukimura-san! Despite the fact I can't participate during discussion, I can still participate when we have to write our solutions on the board. _

The blue haired captain chuckled at her slightly grinning face. "I'm glad to hear, sorry, read that. Are you having any trouble with any subject?"

_Um…I am having trouble with Art…_

Yukimura smiled and nodded. "Well I am good at Art, would you like me to help you?"

_Would you really? That'll be great, Yukimura-san!_

Akane grinned at him and grabbed his hands. She pulled him up to his feet and the instant Yukimura stood up, all the members of the tennis club stopped what they were doing and stared at their smiling captain as he twirled the girl. They all heard his chuckle and saw her blush but she continued to dance around him without a care that everyone's watching. Yukimura's eyes followed her every time she moved and slightly winced when she accidentally tripped on her bag. He helped the mute girl up and led her back to the bench. The sound of tennis balls being hit were missing and looked up to see everyone staring at them. Akane noticed it as well and blushed a deep shade of red.

"What are you all doing?" The club members froze at his chilling smile. "Practice isn't over yet."

Each and every one of them scrambled to return to their practices; All except a certain magenta-haired regular, who was currently glaring daggers at his captain.

-X-

Marui Bunta and his cousin were currently walking through the school grounds on the way home, when Akane realized at she left some of her notebooks in her locker. She tugged at Marui's shirt and pointed back to the main school building.

"Eh? You want to go back to the school?" Akane nodded. "Why?" She acted as if the lockers were in front of her and opened an invisible door. "You want to go back to your locker?" Akane smiled and nodded. Marui sighed and nodded as Akane jumped in glee and started skipping back to the main building.

As Akane was skipping farther and farther away from him, his mind was currently running in circles around a certain captain. _'Does Akane really like Yukimura? She usually isn't that childish when around people she doesn't know. Has she met him before? Where and when? What if they're toget-'_ Because of his carelessness, he tripped over something and fell face first on the ground. _'Way to lose your cool, Bunta.'_ He stood up and dusted himself before looking at the 'culprit'. His violet eyes widened to see that it was Akane's diary. _'What's her diary doing here? Unless she dropped it while she was skipping.' _He picked up the said diary and stared at it, his lust for her secrets was quickly winning him over. _'Maybe I can find out if Akane and Yukimura are together in here…'_

Before he was able to open Akane's diary, he heard footsteps and quickly stuffed the diary into his tennis bag. He looked up and saw a scared look on his cousin's face; In her hands was a letter. "Are you ok, Akane?" Marui saw that her hands were trembling and with slight persuasion, he took the letter from her.

**Tsugimiya Akane, HOW DARE YOU COME CLOSE TO OUR MEN! Just because you're disabled doesn't mean you have to cling to our precious Seiichi-kun or get carried by our dear Masaharu! From now on, you have better distance yourself from the tennis club or horrible things will happen to you, we'll make sure of that!**

After reading the letter, he let it drop to the ground and wrapped his hands around Akane as she let out a few tears from her green eyes. "Don't worry, Akane. You'll be safe, ok? I promise you that I'll always be there to keep you safe. Nothing will ever hurt you." He wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled. "Let's go, I heard that mom's making your favorite dish, Karage!" Akane weakly smile and let her cousin lead her away from school.

* * *

**_*bows repeatedly* SORRY SORRY SORRY! I know I deserve to be ignored for not updating for months! Blame high school, especially when you're in your final year, as well as writer's block. I just got my ideas after watching Another Story: "_****The Trials of Rikkai, A Rebel who Challenges an Emperor**" again.

**_Anyway, I have no idea who to pair Akane with! I mean I like MaruiAkane but the (distant) incest is slightly putting me off, and I like YukimuraAkane but I make her sound like a Mary Sue (wait, is she? o.o). _**

**_Oh well, reviews are appreciated! :)_**

**_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tenisu no Oujisama!_**


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